Traditionally gas grills have been utilized in the food industry for cooking food articles, particularly, meat. A desirable flavor is imparted to the food articles due to the direct contact of the meat with the flames. Furthermore, gas grills utilizing pressurized gas tanks are portable and convenient for camping and the like.
However, one disadvantage of conventional gas grills is that they impart an "off-flavor" to the food article due to the chemical composition of the gas. Gas available to consumers, such as propane, is usually mixed with an agent having a strong odor to enable the user to smell the gas as a safety precaution. Sometimes the agent is a sulfur derivative and has an odor characteristic of rotten eggs.
Another disadvantage to conventional gas grills is that they dry out the food, leaving meat for example, tough. This drying effect is caused by an extended application of flames to the food and evaporation of the food moisture, without any effective means for returning moisture to the food.
Yet another disadvantage with conventional gas grills is flare-ups. Flare-ups occur when a piece of fat or meat falls through the grill rack and lands on the gas burner. Because the burner gets extremely hot, the fallen food causes flames to increase and flare-up at that particular location. Flare-ups will overcook or even burn a portion of a food article. Therefore, cooks must constantly monitor the grill rack so they can extinguish any flare-ups that might occur.
Another problem with conventional gas grills is they have hot spots. Hot spots are the areas directly above the burners, which are much hotter than other locations on the grill rack. Hot spots cause portions of food articles to cook faster than others. Consequently, cooks must monitor the cooking and rearrange the food articles to ensure even cooking.
Another disadvantage with conventional gas grills is the smoke caused by flare-ups and charcoal burning in addition to charring of food. The smoke creates harmful emissions and the charred food results in the consumption of injurious carcinogens.
From all of the foregoing discussion, it is quite apparent that a significant need exists for a gas grill which addresses the recognized problems which have faced people for so long without a viable solution.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a means of heating food articles over a direct flame, while adding moisture to the food articles to prevent them from drying out.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for keeping food articles warm through the flow of hot vapor over the food articles.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for cooking food articles through the use of entrapped, hot vapor.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide flames that are evenly distributed over the entire area of the cooking surface, eliminating hot spots.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means to prevent the gas from imparting an off-taste to the food.
An additional object of the present invention is to eliminate flare-ups.
Still another object of the present invention is to lower the emissions and carcinogens that are produced by conventional gas grills.
Another object of the present invention is to allow users to flavor food by adding flavoring to liquid located beneath the food.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a gas grill that is easily cleaned.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a gas grill that is safer to operate than conventional gas grills.